Makai Lemon
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The Chiefs have hosted wide receiver Makai Lemon on a Top 30 visit ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft
The Kansas City Chiefs are building their way back towards Super Bowl contention. After missing the playoffs entirely in 2025, the Chiefs were forced to take a hard look in the mirror and reassess their team. That has led to an aggressive start to the offseason, with all eyes now turned towards the 2026 NFL Draft.
Kansas City is looking to make its offense explosive again, a trait it has lacked in recent years. Even with young guys like Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy leading the way at wide receiver, the Chiefs feel they need more help at this spot, which recently led them to take a closer look at USC Trojans wide receiver Makai Lemon ahead of the draft.
Chiefs Host Makai Lemon on Top 30 Visit
Ever since the departure of Tyreek Hill, the Chiefs’ offense has struggled to prove it’s one of the top groups in the league. Patrick Mahomes’ greatness under center has largely helped this team stay afloat, but even he wasn’t able to lead Kansas City to wins last season. Simply put, he needs more help, which is precisely where Lemon could come in and help.
In 2025, Lemon enjoyed a breakout campaign with USC, as he caught 79 passes for 1,156 yards and 13 touchdowns, with those numbers helping him earn All-American honors. Lemon is a speedy playmaker who can rip off a big gain anytime he touches the football, which is precisely what K.C.’s offense needs right now.
Lemon is widely considered one of the top wide receiver prospects in this draft class, and there’s a chance he could be off the board by the time Kansas City is on the clock with the No. 9 overall pick. However, the Chiefs are still keeping close tabs on him, as they brought the talented Trojans pass catcher to town for a Top 30 visit earlier this week.
“USC WR Makai Lemon spent Thursday with the Chiefs on a Top 30 visit, source said. He’s also slated to visit the Dolphins, Giants, Jets, and Commanders,” Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported in a post on X.
Should the Chiefs Draft Makai Lemon?
Makai Lemon, NFL Combine
GettyUSC wide receiver Makai Lemon trying to make a play during the 2026 NFL Combine.
Wide receiver isn’t exactly the Chiefs’ only remaining need, but they turned themselves into one of the most dangerous teams in the NFL on the back of their offensive efficiency. With Eric Bieniemy returning to town as the team’s offensive coordinator earlier this offseason, it’s clear that Kansas City wants its offense to look like what it did at the beginning of Mahomes’ career.
Evaluators are a bit all over the place on Lemon, and the No. 9 pick may ultimately be too high a selection to use on him. If Lemon falls to the Chiefs at this spot, they will have to make a decision on whether or not they want to invest this sort of draft capital in him. There’s still a lot of time between now and the start of the draft, but it’s looking like Lemon may very well be one of the top targets on the board for K.C.